simply that Paris holds a special place in my heart...one that is of classic elegance and of years gone by, not years to come.

Problem is, there are 11 million Parisians who need to make a living in years to come, not in years gone. Did you know there are more square feet of office space in Paris than in Chicago or London? And still more to come, so all these offices need to be accomodated somewhere.

Problem is, there are 11 million Parisians who need to make a living in years to come, not in years gone. Did you know there are more square feet of office space in Paris than in Chicago or London? And still more to come, so all these offices need to be accomodated somewhere.

I'm not saying Paris shouldn't build buildings...I absolutely think they should. I just don't think the ultra-contemporary look of some of those "pretend" towers is in keeping with the classic look of the rest of the city. I would prefer a more timless architectural style for the new structures. Just my $.02.

^^The cityscape of Paris thrives on Bold New Ideas. When they built Eiffel Tower, People protested. When they build Pompidou Center, people ridiculed. When they built the pyramid at the Louvre Museum, people questioned.

But now everyone in Paris and the rest of the world loves them. Paris would not be the same without these buildings. It is the essence of radical designs that makes Paris unique. The city does not need rows after rows of ancient dwellings that look exactly the same.

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I am the picture guy---A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.

For those interested in numbers, I calculated some interesting statistics. If the current population growth rates of France and Paris remain the same over the next 9 years (most demographers think it is very likely they will), then in 2015 at the time when all the skyscrapers are completed in Paris there should be between 63.8 and 64.2 million inhabitants in France (metropolitan France), and 12.3 million inhabitants in the Paris metropolitan area.

It was reported that there are projects to build two 180 meters (590 ft) skyscrapers in Issy-les-Moulineaux. This adds to the already long list of skyscrapers that are planned or under construction in Paris. After the announcements of skyscrapers in La Défense, Levallois-Perret, Neuilly-sur-Seine, and now Issy-les-Moulineaux, it appears that 10 years from now there should be a constellation of skyscraper clusters spread out in the western area of Paris, unlike the current situation where there is only La Défense and Montparnasse.

I created a small map to show the location of all the skyscrapers already existing, under construction, or planned (only skyscrapers taller than 150 m/500 ft are indicated).

Le Nouvel Observateur magazine in their latest edition have revealed new skyscraper projects hitherto unknown. Here is the cover page.

In Issy-les-Moulineaux (you can see that place on the map above) the local council would like Norman Foster to build two skyscrapers on the banks of the Seine (height unknown). Furthermore, they also plan to build an office skyscraper called the Hypergreen Tower which would be 246 m (807 ft) high and include the latest technology in energy-saving and environmental sustainability.

Le Nouvel Observateur have also revealed that in Saint-Denis (north of Central Paris) the local council plans to build skyscrapers near the Stade de France. Several councils on the northern and eastern fringes of Central Paris (notably Saint-Ouen and Bagnolet) are also planning skyscrapers according to Le Nouvel Observateur.

With all the new projects announced weekly, it's hard to keep the Paris skyscrapers list up-to-date. The current skyscraper building drive has never been seen before in Paris. If I count well, there are now skyscrapers U/C or planned in La Défense, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Levallois-Perret, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen, and Bagnolet. I'll update the list as soon as we have more information about the projects. If anyone has better information, please update.

Le Nouvel Observateur have also revealed that in Saint-Denis (north of Central Paris) the local council plans to build skyscrapers near the Stade de France. Several councils on the northern and eastern fringes of Central Paris (notably Saint-Ouen and Bagnolet) are also planning skyscrapers according to Le Nouvel Observateur.

Building skyscrapers in Saint-Denis and Bagnolet makes sense. Those that already exist are much too isolated.

I, for one, welcome all these shiny & futuristic towers to Paris. I wouldn't like to see 'em built in the heart of the city, but since that's not gonna happen, I'm all for it. In fact, I like the contrast between the hypermodern La Défense and the oldskool areas of the City.

Here are some renderings of the 165 m.(541 ft) twin towers in Levallois-Perret, on the banks of the Seine river. Construction is due to start this coming summer (2006) and the towers will be completed and opened in June 2009, when they are delivered to Spanish developer Fadesa.

The towers will have 42 floors each and a total floor space of 110,000 m² (1,185,000 sq. ft), of which 90,000 m² (970,000 sq. ft) will be office space, and the remaining 20,000 m² (215,000 ft) will contain a commercial mall and a three-stars hotel with restaurant, bar, and fitness center. There will be an underground parking lot with capacity 1,600 spaces.

Have a look at the map in the previous postings (above) for the location of the Levallois twin towers.

Here is an excellent website about the 185 m (607 ft) T1 tower currently under construction in La Défense:http://www.t1-defense.com/

The website contains stunning renderings of the tower. There are also weekly updates with pictures showing construction progress, as well as lots of information about the tower. The tower is due to be completed in 2007 and opened in January/February 2008.

Just two renderings from the website:

This one shows Paris by night as seen from inside the T1 tower. If you pay attention, you can notice the Eiffel Tower in the distance through the window in the center of the picture.

A bit more has filtered through today about the supertalls planned in La Défense. French architect Manuelle Gautrand revealed on her website that she's working on a skyscraper in the 300s meters (1,000-1,300ft). The developer is Unibail. She said renderings would be made public in the end of September (little less than 3 months from now).
This is supposed to be one of several supertalls to be built in La Défense within the next 9 years, but it is not known whether the skyscraper that Gautrand is working on would be the tallest or the second-tallest. Bernard Bled, the director of La Défense Authority, has repeatedly (and again recently) said that the tallest tower would be above the 400m (1,310ft) mark.